No More Flash Updates For Linux, Unless You Use Chrome

Martin Brinkmann
Feb 22, 2012
Updated • Dec 3, 2012
Linux
|
19

Breaking News: Adobe just made an announcement on the official Air and Flash Player Team Blog that changes are coming to Flash Player on Linux. The company has partnered up with Google to "develop a single modern API for hosting plugins within the browser". PPAPI (code-named Pepper), adds a layer between the browser and underlying operating system that "abstracts away differences between browser and operating system implementations".

Google will provide a PPAPI implementation later this year for all 32-bit and 64-bit platforms that are supported by the company's Chrome web browser. All Chrome version on all operating systems, and not only Linux, will receive an update that implements the PPAPI-based Flash Player.

adobe-flash-player

Changes do not end here though for Linux users. Adobe notes that the Flash Player browser plugin for Linux will only be available via the PPAPI plugin that is part of the Google Chrome browser distribution. Adobe will not provide direct Flash Player browser plugin downloads anymore on their site, nor will it update Flash Player on Linux anymore with non-security related updates.

This basically means that Flash Player 11.2 is the latest cross-browser version of the browser plugin for Linux. While it is theoretically possible that other browser developers will implement Pepper, it could also mean the beginning of the end for Flash on Linux. Mozilla for instance states on MozillaWiki that it "s not interested in or working on Pepper at this time".

Adobe will support Flash Player 11.2 on Linux for five years after release with security updates. Linux users have five years that they can continue to use Flash contents in other browsers besides Chrome. After that, they either have to hope that other browser developers have implemented Pepper by now, ignore Flash from that moment on, or switch to Chrome when they want to access Flash contents in their operating system.

Advertisement

Previous Post: «
Next Post: «

Comments

  1. Kubrick said on March 27, 2017 at 1:01 am
    Reply

    I only use flash on 1 website which is a game site..im running flash 11.2 just fine so this is BS in my opinion and i certainly will not use the google browser.

  2. ram said on March 3, 2014 at 1:14 pm
    Reply

    is it only for linux users or windows

  3. ei said on October 16, 2013 at 5:32 pm
    Reply

    wtf??? where is updates for linux??????

  4. linuxusercanada said on August 27, 2012 at 5:06 am
    Reply

    Hi,

    I am not able to watch Youtube videos this month, even though I have the last version of flash for Linux (11.2 r202). I am using the Firefox browser.

    Common sense would dictate that this version should be reported to the server as the most up-to-date version, but it looks like sites with flash are demanding 11.4 even though it isn’t available for Linux.

    Anyone else able to watch flash videos with Firefox at all?

    1. Ralph said on December 21, 2012 at 6:16 pm
      Reply

      Youtube is owned be google

  5. Anonymous said on July 31, 2012 at 2:35 pm
    Reply

    My homepage will never be google again!!!
    I can’t stand crap!
    They are like an octopus stretching their tentacles all over the word, in all fields; destroying opposing countries, pushing their chickens in Europe to cooperate in that destruction

  6. kitsaws said on February 24, 2012 at 12:13 pm
    Reply

    I use Linux & FF at home,
    and this is the perfect situation where I would say “F**K… ADOBE”
    well,
    F**K ADOBE.

    from comodo dragon, win7@ work :(

  7. Gary said on February 22, 2012 at 8:25 pm
    Reply

    God, I hate Adobe!

    I am never using another piece of software from Adobe ever again. I hope the company goes out of business.

    HTML5 can’t get here fast enough!

  8. Wayfarer said on February 22, 2012 at 7:55 pm
    Reply

    Once again I’m tempted to mention geese and golden eggs…

    People never learn.

  9. SCBright said on February 22, 2012 at 6:53 pm
    Reply

    Another Google move to put everything under its control. I’ll never user Chrome, I don’t want to be tracked by these dictators…

    It is not about browsers and flash, but the case is that Google is taking control over everything on the Internet, quietly and steadily. It’s like to cook a frog in warm water.

    1. Jim said on February 22, 2012 at 7:19 pm
      Reply

      For a way to use Chrome without using Google, try Comodo Dragon. Based on Chrome, it is even more de-Googlefied than Chromium.

  10. Michael said on February 22, 2012 at 6:39 pm
    Reply

    Flash has never really been supported on Linux anyway – the official Adobe plugin can be very glitchy, and attempting to make flash full screen is buggy across multiple distros.
    With growing HTML5 support, flash is barely needed anymore anyway.

  11. Jim said on February 22, 2012 at 5:51 pm
    Reply

    We can only hope this will be the beginning of the end for Flash. It is the curse of the Internet. Sadly though, Mozilla’s decision will drive some users away from FF because so many sites use Flash. It seems Flash is a no-win solution on Linux.

  12. punk bass said on February 22, 2012 at 5:32 pm
    Reply

    I would never use google’s browser and i wouldn’t miss flash or any adobe product at all.
    I just don’t give a f*ck about those two companes. Don’t be evil, my ass don’t be evil

  13. Roman ShaRP said on February 22, 2012 at 5:13 pm
    Reply

    Willy,
    who knows? Maybe they just found a good trick to fool and discredit Flash in favor of HTML5? ;)

  14. Willy said on February 22, 2012 at 4:36 pm
    Reply

    “Don’t be evil. We believe strongly that in the long term, we will be better served — as shareholders and in all other ways — by a company that does good things for the world.”
    Like, going into comedy?

  15. Roman ShaRP said on February 22, 2012 at 4:28 pm
    Reply

    This sucks. I was already disappointed by Adobe with their updates policy and absence of Flash plugin for my Samsung Galaxy Gio smartphone for it’s processor (there is information on XDA Developers forum that flash can be provided with some hacks).

    Now they again show us the need of freeing ourselves from vendor lock-in and copyright lock-in and moving to open standards and libraries. I hope that in some years from now we’ll get rid of Adobe.

  16. HTML5 said on February 22, 2012 at 4:16 pm
    Reply

    HTML5 FTW

  17. JMGG said on February 22, 2012 at 4:09 pm
    Reply

    This is a bad move for Adobe since they’ve already lost most of the iOS community when Apple refused to support flash. I expect that bit by bit, flash is going to get phased out from mainstream use, even if the alternative, HTML5, isn’t nearly as mature or convenient as flash is now.

Leave a Reply

Check the box to consent to your data being stored in line with the guidelines set out in our privacy policy

We love comments and welcome thoughtful and civilized discussion. Rudeness and personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please stay on-topic.
Please note that your comment may not appear immediately after you post it.